As used in this article, unless the context requires a different meaning:

Terms Used In Virginia Code 58.1-1021.01

  • Cigar: means any roll of tobacco wrapped in leaf tobacco or in any substance containing tobacco, other than any roll of tobacco that is a cigarette as such term is defined in § 58. See Virginia Code 58.1-1021.01
  • cigarette: includes "roll-your-own" tobacco, which means any tobacco which, because of its appearance, type, packaging, or labeling, is suitable for use and likely to be offered to, or purchased by, consumers as tobacco for making cigarettes. See Virginia Code 58.1-1000
  • Consumer: means the person who is the end or final user of tobacco products. See Virginia Code 58.1-1021.01
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Distributor: means (i) any person engaged in the business of selling tobacco products in the Commonwealth who brings, or causes to be brought, into the Commonwealth from outside the Commonwealth any tobacco products for sale; (ii) any person who makes, manufactures, fabricates, or stores tobacco products in the Commonwealth for sale in the Commonwealth; (iii) any person engaged in the business of selling tobacco products outside the Commonwealth who ships or transports tobacco products to any person in the business of selling tobacco products in the Commonwealth; or (iv) any retail dealer in possession of untaxed tobacco products in the Commonwealth. See Virginia Code 58.1-1021.01
  • Includes: means includes, but not limited to. See Virginia Code 1-218
  • Loose leaf tobacco: means any leaf tobacco that is not intended to be smoked, but shall not include moist snuff. See Virginia Code 58.1-1021.01
  • Manufacturer: means a person who manufactures or produces tobacco products and sells tobacco products to a distributor. See Virginia Code 58.1-1021.01
  • Moist snuff: means a tobacco product consisting of finely cut, ground, or powdered tobacco that is not intended to be smoked but shall not include any finely cut, ground, or powdered tobacco that is intended to be placed in the nasal cavity. See Virginia Code 58.1-1021.01
  • Nicotine vapor product: includes any electronic cigarette, electronic cigar, electronic cigarillo, electronic pipe, or similar product or device and any cartridge or other container of nicotine in a solution or other form that is intended to be used with or in an electronic cigarette, electronic cigar, electronic cigarillo, electronic pipe, or similar product or device. See Virginia Code 58.1-1021.01
  • Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
  • Person: means any individual, corporation, partnership, association, company, business, trust, joint venture, or other legal entity. See Virginia Code 58.1-1021.01
  • Pipe tobacco: means any tobacco that, because of its appearance, type, packaging, or labeling, is suitable for use and likely to be offered or purchased by consumers as tobacco to be smoked in a pipe. See Virginia Code 58.1-1021.01
  • Remote retail sale: means any sale of cigars or pipe tobacco to a consumer in the Commonwealth when (i) the consumer submits the order for the sale by means of a telephone or other method of voice transmission, the mail, or the Internet or other online service, or the seller is otherwise not in the physical presence of the consumer when the request for the purchase or order is made, or (ii) the cigars or pipe tobacco are delivered to the consumer by common carrier, private delivery service, or other method of remote delivery, or the seller is not in the physical presence of the consumer when the buyer obtains possession of the cigars or pipe tobacco. See Virginia Code 58.1-1021.01
  • Remote retail seller: means a person located within or outside of this state that makes remote retail sales of cigars or pipe tobacco. See Virginia Code 58.1-1021.01
  • Retail dealer: means every person who sells or offers for sale any tobacco product to consumers at retail in a transaction other than a remote retail sale. See Virginia Code 58.1-1021.01
  • SKU: means an individual stock keeping unit identifier used for tracking inventory. See Virginia Code 58.1-1021.01
  • State: when applied to a part of the United States, includes any of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands. See Virginia Code 1-245
  • tobacco products: means (i) "cigar" as defined in § 5702(a) of the Internal Revenue Code, and as such section may be amended; (ii) "smokeless tobacco" as defined in § 5702(m) of the Internal Revenue Code, and as such section may be amended; or (iii) "pipe tobacco" as defined in § 5702(n) of the Internal Revenue Code, and as such section may be amended. See Virginia Code 58.1-1021.01
  • Use: means the exercise of any right or power over cigarettes incident to the ownership thereof or by any transaction where possession is given, except that it does not include the sale of cigarettes in the regular course of business. See Virginia Code 58.1-1000

“Actual cost” means the actual price paid by a remote retail seller for each individual stock keeping unit or SKU.

“Alternative nicotine product” means any noncombustible product containing nicotine that is not made of tobacco and is intended for human consumption, whether chewed, absorbed, dissolved, or ingested by any other means. “Alternative nicotine product” does not include any nicotine vapor product or any product regulated as a drug or device by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under Chapter V (21 U.S.C. § 351 et seq.) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

“Cigar” means any roll of tobacco wrapped in leaf tobacco or in any substance containing tobacco, other than any roll of tobacco that is a cigarette as such term is defined in § 58.1-1000.

“Consumer” means the person who is the end or final user of tobacco products.

“Distributor” means (i) any person engaged in the business of selling tobacco products in the Commonwealth who brings, or causes to be brought, into the Commonwealth from outside the Commonwealth any tobacco products for sale; (ii) any person who makes, manufactures, fabricates, or stores tobacco products in the Commonwealth for sale in the Commonwealth; (iii) any person engaged in the business of selling tobacco products outside the Commonwealth who ships or transports tobacco products to any person in the business of selling tobacco products in the Commonwealth; or (iv) any retail dealer in possession of untaxed tobacco products in the Commonwealth.

“Heated tobacco product” means a product containing tobacco that produces an inhalable aerosol (i) by heating the tobacco by means of an electronic device without combustion of the tobacco or (ii) by heat generated from a combustion source that only or primarily heats rather than burns the tobacco.

“Liquid nicotine” means a liquid or other substance containing nicotine in any concentration that is sold, marketed, or intended for use in a nicotine vapor product.

“Loose leaf tobacco” means any leaf tobacco that is not intended to be smoked, but shall not include moist snuff. Loose leaf tobacco weight unit categories shall be as follows:

1. “Loose leaf tobacco half pound-unit” means a consumer sized unit, pouch, or package containing at least 4 ounces but not more than 8 ounces of loose leaf tobacco, by net weight, produced by the manufacturer to be sold to consumers as a single unit and not produced to be divided or sold separately and containing one individual package.

2. “Loose leaf tobacco pound-unit” means a consumer sized unit, pouch, or package containing more than 8 ounces of loose leaf tobacco, by net weight, produced by the manufacturer to be sold to consumers as a single unit and not produced to be divided or sold separately and containing one individual package.

3. “Loose leaf tobacco single-unit” means a consumer sized unit, pouch, or package containing less than 4 ounces of loose leaf tobacco, by net weight, produced by the manufacturer to be sold to consumers as a single unit and not produced to be divided or sold separately and containing one individual package.

“Manufacturer” means a person who manufactures or produces tobacco products and sells tobacco products to a distributor.

“Manufacturer’s representative” means a person employed by a manufacturer to sell or distribute the manufacturer’s tobacco products.

“Manufacturer’s sales price” means the actual price for which a manufacturer, manufacturer’s representative, or any other person sells tobacco products to an unaffiliated distributor.

“Moist snuff” means a tobacco product consisting of finely cut, ground, or powdered tobacco that is not intended to be smoked but shall not include any finely cut, ground, or powdered tobacco that is intended to be placed in the nasal cavity.

“Nicotine vapor product” means any noncombustible product containing nicotine that employs a heating element, power source, electronic circuit, or other electronic, chemical, or mechanical means, regardless of shape or size, that can be used to produce vapor from nicotine in a solution or other form. “Nicotine vapor product” includes any electronic cigarette, electronic cigar, electronic cigarillo, electronic pipe, or similar product or device and any cartridge or other container of nicotine in a solution or other form that is intended to be used with or in an electronic cigarette, electronic cigar, electronic cigarillo, electronic pipe, or similar product or device. “Nicotine vapor product” does not include any product regulated by the FDA under Chapter V (21 U.S.C. § 351 et seq.) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

“Person” means any individual, corporation, partnership, association, company, business, trust, joint venture, or other legal entity.

“Pipe tobacco” means any tobacco that, because of its appearance, type, packaging, or labeling, is suitable for use and likely to be offered or purchased by consumers as tobacco to be smoked in a pipe.

“Remote retail sale” means any sale of cigars or pipe tobacco to a consumer in the Commonwealth when (i) the consumer submits the order for the sale by means of a telephone or other method of voice transmission, the mail, or the Internet or other online service, or the seller is otherwise not in the physical presence of the consumer when the request for the purchase or order is made, or (ii) the cigars or pipe tobacco are delivered to the consumer by common carrier, private delivery service, or other method of remote delivery, or the seller is not in the physical presence of the consumer when the buyer obtains possession of the cigars or pipe tobacco.

“Remote retail seller” means a person located within or outside of this state that makes remote retail sales of cigars or pipe tobacco.

“Retail dealer” means every person who sells or offers for sale any tobacco product to consumers at retail in a transaction other than a remote retail sale.

“SKU” means an individual stock keeping unit identifier used for tracking inventory.

“Tobacco product” or “tobacco products” means (i) “cigar” as defined in § 5702(a) of the Internal Revenue Code, and as such section may be amended; (ii) “smokeless tobacco” as defined in § 5702(m) of the Internal Revenue Code, and as such section may be amended; or (iii) “pipe tobacco” as defined in § 5702(n) of the Internal Revenue Code, and as such section may be amended. “Tobacco products” shall also include loose leaf tobacco.

2004, Sp. Sess. I, c. 3; 2005, c. 71; 2006, c. 768; 2010, cc. 191, 804; 2019, c. 790; 2022, cc. 738, 779.